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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · bass · key · tear · fan · wax · craft · ground

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. craft — boats
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kick — in football
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. key — in music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — for a lock
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — a position
  15. bass — low music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com